Manalo carries fight for RP cue masters

Some of the big boys made an early move although it was the No. 1 ranked female player in the world that made some heads turn in the opening day of the first World Ten Ball Championship yesterday.

Marlon Manalo sparked the Filipinos’ bid while reigning world 9-ball champion Darryl Peach of Great Britain and 2004 titlist Thorsten Hohmann of Germany won their opening matches, too.

Manalo, who’s had some success in the new world of 10-ball, defeated a Chinese player now playing for Brunei, 9-6, at the majestic Philippine International Convention Center.

Peach whipped Sit Chung Ching of Hong Kong, 9-4, and Hohmann gave Albin Ouschan of Austria a neat lesson, 9-5, as they primed themselves up in the race for the $100,000 top prize.

Antonio Gabica, another Pinoy hopeful, wasn’t as fortunate in Day One of this huge event, losing to Marcus Chamat of Sweden, 9-3, and falling into the losers bracket with still a chance to survive.

Jeff de Luna, just getting better as he gets older, was playing Max Eberle of the United States. The Pinoy artist, who looked different in a pink shirt and pink hairdo, and Eberle were at 3-3 as of presstime.

Other favorites that have yet to pull their cut sticks out of their bags were Mika Immonen, Tony Drago, Johnny Archer, Wu Chia-Ching, Oliver Ortmann and Ralf Souquet.

Yet, it was Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan, the No. 1 ranked female player by the World Pool-Billiards Association, who showed great form and an even greater promise in the weeklong world event.

Ouschan, 22, a first-timer in Manila, defeated Lin Yuan-Chun of Taipei a marathon contest between two attractive players, 9-6, and vowed to give his male counterparts a run for their money.

“I’ve been playing with men since I was nine years old. And I finished third in a men’s straight-pool tournament just recently. So I think I can go pretty far here,” said Ouschan.

“I think my game is strong enough for me to be there (in the end). My third-place finish against those men shows that it’s possible,” said Ouschan, whose brother lost to Hohmann earlier in the day.

Possibly up next for the blonde who came in an tight all-black outfit is Deuel, always a tough nut to crack in whatever tournament he competes in.

Manalo expects to do better in the days ahead as he tries to adjust to the faster, bright blue Simons cloth being used over the Brunswick tables.

“I thought I could adjust easily because we seldom play on this type of cloth. But it was difficult. The only good thing is we’re all playing on it,” said Manalo.

Other early results showed Pinoys Victor Arpilleda and Elmer Kalaquian beating Wang Kuo-Pin of Taipei, 9-6, and Matjaz Elcujz of Slovenia, 9-3.

But three others lost on home soil – reigning national junior champion Jericho Banares, Florencio Banar and Elvis Calasang. Banares bowed to Steve Moore of the US, 4-9; Banar to Bruno Maratore, 5-9; and Calasang to Naoyuki Oi, 9-8.

Doha Asian Games women’s 9-ball champion Liu Shin Me, one of the few lady participants entered in the men’s field, stamped her class over Christian Tuvi of Uruguay, 9-4.

Also winning their opening matches were Sacha Tege of Germany, Lu Hui Chan of Chinese Taipei, Imran Majid of Great Britain, Charlie Williams of the United States, Kazuo Furuta, Mark Gray of Great Britain, Fabio Petroni of Italy, Kim Woong-Dee of Korea and Tyler Edgy of Canada.